Hydraulic lift.



. r3- NO. 788,177. BEST AVAILABLE PATENTED FEB. 21, 1905.

G. F. GLUFP.

HYDRAULIC LIFT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN 14, 1004.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

. V x 7 W BEST AVALABLE COP PATENTED FEB. 21, 1905.

G. F. GLUFF. HYDRAULIC LIFT.

APPLIUATION rum) JAN.14, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES REST AVAlLABLE CO? Patented February 21, 1905.

PATENT OEEIcE.

HYDRAULIC LIFT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,177, dated February 21, 1905.

" Application filed January 14,1904. SerialNo. 189,055.

To all whom itmay cancel-1 Be it known. that I, GEOItGE FRANKLIN CLUFF, a citizen'o-f the United States of America, residing at Lodi, in the county of San Joaquin and State of California, have invented certain new'anduseful Improvements in Hydraulic Lifts, of which-the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to mining apparatus, the principal object being to provide an improved apparatus of this character to be employed in placer or hydraulic mining wherein the material to be treated is raised or elevated from one level to another through an uprisepipe (for instance, from a sump to a sluice above) bymeans of water-pressure applied as hereinafter described; but the utility of my invention is not solely confined to this employment, as it may be used in connection with steam or compressed air for elevating grain or other commodities. In this specification, however, I shall confine myself to the use of my invention in connection with hydraulic mining.

My improvements over the prior art reside more particularly in the provision of a framework of supply-pipes thatsupport the uprise ordelivery pipe, the wholeadapted to swing or sink downward as the material upon which it operates is exhausted and the sump deepens, the increasing depth being caused by the action of anauxiliaigvjet of water which breaks up and feeds a continual stream of material to the receiving endof-the uprise-pipe, the material being forcedflgpward through the uprisepipe by means of hydraulic pressure from a nozzle located at the lower open end thereof and discharging thereinto from the said supply-pipes.

My invention further consists in the provi-.

sion of means for connectinga suitable .water source to either side of the framework of pipes, as is most convenient, and in providing the sluice-box, into which the uprise-pipe-discharges, with a head in which the latter pipe is adapted to oscillate as the framework of pipes is raised'or'lowered.

My invention further consists irrcertain other details of construction and combinations of parts such as will be more fully described hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims. 1

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a View in side elevation illustrating the va,

rious positions assumed by my improved apparatus when in active operation. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in side elevation, partly broken away, showing the comparative size and relation ofthe supply and uprise pipes and the location of the nozzle with respect thereto.' Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation of the construction disclosed in Fig. 1; and Fig. 4: is an enlarged view in cross-section on the line as w of Fig. 3 looking downward, the

pipes being reversed.

In the said drawings, A indicatesa suitable platform or other foundation on the upper level, and B the sump from which the detritus, pay-dirt, or gravel is elevated. Located upon the platform,,,is a sluice-box 1 the head of which is provided with a cover 2 and a slotted end 3. The delivery end 4 of the uprise-pipe 5 is received and is movable within the slotin the end 3, the dirt and gravel discharged therefrom impinging against the cover 2-.

Suitable bearings 6 are secured to the platform A, and mounted in these bearings is a pipe 7, hereinafter referred to as the hingepipe, the ends ofwhich project beyond the bearings on either side and are adapted to have coupled thereto a hose or other suitable conveyer-pipe 8, connecting the hinge-pipe with a source of power, as water, steam, or compressed air. This conveyer-pipe may be secured to either end (or, if desirable, to both ends) of the hinge-pipe 7, which is provided with removable caps 9. Communicating also with the hinge-pipe by means of T-couplings l'Qiat their upper ends are a pair of supplypipes 11, whose lower ends are connected with the "aforesaid nozzle 12 by elbows 13, short sections of piping 14;, and a T-coupling 15.

The before-mentioned uprise-pipe 5 rests upon the hinge-pipe 7 and upon a brace 16, extending between the supply-pipes 11 thereto connected, the upr'ise-pipe running downwardly to a point in proximity to the nozzle 12 and partially inclosing the latter. The uprise-pipe is securely fastened to the hingepipe and also firmly held by the brace, which is made double to clasp it and the supplypipes, and thereby assist in securing them in position and also strengthening the structure. Thus it will be observed that the uprise-pipe is carried by a framework of pipes, comprising the hinge-pipe, its supply-pipes, and interconnections or what may be termed a U-shaped supply-pipe, arranged to swing about a hollow hinge and suitably braced. The lower portion of the lower end of the uprise-pipe incloses and receives the nozzle 12; but the upper portion is cut away, as at 17, to permit the entrance of air to the pipe. The nozzle, it will be seen, is inclined withrespect to the longitudinal axis of the uprise-pipe and being fixed relatively to the uprise requires no readjustment. The upper or delivery end, 4 of the uprise-pipe projects through the slotted end 3 of the head-sluice, and the pipe is provided with a plate 18, carried thereby for closing the slot, the plate operating to prevent any backflow of water due to the piling up of the material removed from the sump.

A crane or derrick 19, conveniently located on the forward end of the platform A, is 'provided for raising or lowering, by means of suitable block and tackle, the frame of piping, which is adapted to move in the arc of a circle on the hinge-pipe as a pivot or center.

The operation of my improved apparatus is easily gathered from the foregoing; but, to briefly recapitulate, the apparatus may be mounted on the banks of a stream, for instance, or other suitable elevation,.and the receiving end of the uprise-pipe is lowered to the bed of the stream or into a pit a couple of feet in depth, and when the power is turned on the force of its passageout of the nozzle will operate to force into the uprise-pipe all loose gravel or dirt and finally 'discharge the same from the delivery end of the pipe into the sluice or other receiver. It is understood that in operating on dry gravel or whenever desirable an auxiliary jet (not shown) is employed to break up and supply a continuous stream of material to the receiving end of the uprise-pipe. In this manner a sump may be quickly formed and sunk, as shown in dotted and full lines in Fig. 1, the stream of water from the nozzle 12 entering the uprise in the dotted line shown. in Fig. 2 at 20. The nozzle is kept normally under water, but

not deep enough (preferably) to cover up the,

opening or cut-away portion 17 at the lower end of the uprise-pipe, the free ends of the uprise and supply pipes being moved gradually downward in the arc of a circle about the hinge-pipe as the material and seepage and other water in the sump are exhausted or forced up through the uprise-pipe. The de- AVAlLABLE CG? livery end at of the uprise-pipe moves in a smaller are within the slotted end 3 of the sluice as the lower end of the pipe sinks. The height to which the dirt or gravel may be forced is of course controlled by the pressure-head of water used.

Heretofore it has been necessary to excavate to bed-rock before using a hydraulic lift of this character; but my improved mechanism makes such preliminarylabor unnecessary,and when there is occasion to raise the lower end of the supply-pipesfor instance, to clean the nozzle or for any other reasonthis can be done quickly and without disturbing the adjustment of the uprise-pipe relative to the sluice-box simply by swinging the framework of pipes upward on its hinge. Two men can handle the machine with ease.

It is to be noted that although I have shown but one uprise pipe supported upon a U- shaped supply-pipe and fed by a single nozzle, yet it is well within the scope of my invention to employ a battery of such devices, which may be used singly or connected with one another, as preferred. It is also evident that other changes might be made in the form and arrangement of the several parts above described without departing from the spirit and principle of my invention, and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the exact construction herein shown and set forth; but,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In ahydraulic lift, the combination with a movable uprise-pipe and means for elevating material therethrough, of a slotted sluicehead, the delivery end of the uprise-pipe projecting .through the slot into the sluice, and a plate carried by the uprise-pipe and moving therewith for closing the slot.

2. In a hydraulic lift, the combination with a movable uprise-pipe, of a slotted receptacle into which the uprise-pipe discharges, the size of the pipe being less than the size of the slot, means carried by the uprise-pipe for automatically closing the unoccupied portion of the slot, a supply-pipe leading to the lower end of the uprise-pipe and a nozzle for directing the fluid from the supply-pipe into the uprise-pipe.

3. In a hydraulic lift, the combination with a rotatable header and a source of supply connected with the header, of a plurality of supply-pipes projecting from the header and moving therewith, a pipe connecting the outer ends of the supply-pipes, a nozzle carried by the connecting-pipe and extending rearwardly, and an uprise-pipe supported in approximate alinement with the mouth of the nozzle.

4. In a hydraulic lift, the combination with a suitably-journaled header and a source of supply connected therewith, of a plurality of supply-pipes projecting from and movable eeer AVAYLABLE with the header, a pipe extending between and l In testimony whereof I affix my signature in connecting the free ends of the supply-pipes, presence of two witnesses.

a nozzle carried by the connecting-pipe and w w an uprise-pipe supported upon the header and GEORGE LLUFF intermediate the supply-pipes, the nozzle 10- Witnesses:

cated in front and discharging into the open A. H. STE. MARIE, lower end of the uprise-pipe 1 JAMES G. MAGUIRE. 

